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L-Glutamine & Ulcers

Jul 13, 2011 | By Joseph Pritchard

A great majority of gastric and duodenal ulcers are caused primarily by an infection of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori for short. They are exacerbated by a combination of lifestyle factors such as stress, smoking, alcohol and caffeine, and stomach acids, such as hydrochloric acid and pepsin, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. Ulcers are treated through changes in lifestyle, medications, antibiotics and surgery. The amino acid glutamine shows promise as an alternative to antibiotics for treating ulcers, Eurekalert.org says.

Ulcers

You may not know that you have an ulcer because different people experience varying symptoms and some people do not experience any symptoms at all, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. The most common symptom of the existence of an ulcer, however, is a gnawing or burning pain in the abdomen between the breastbone and the navel which often occurs between meals and in the early hours of the morning and may last from a few minutes to a few hours. Other, less common, symptoms include belching, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, loss of weight and feeling tired and weak. Consult your physician if you suspect that you might have an ulcer because symptoms of stomach and duodenal ulcers may resemble other digestive conditions.

L-Glutamine

Your lungs manufacture the amino acid glutamine and also store some of it, the University of Maryland Medical Center cites. Glutamine seems to play an important role in maintaining the normal function of your brain and digestion, and is essential for removing excess ammonia from your body. This ability is very helpful in preventing cell death from the ammonia produced by H. pylori and can actually reverse the damage the cells incurred from ammonia, Eurekalert.org says. L-Glutamine is the biologically active isomer of glutamine that body builders widely use as a dietary supplement to increase muscle mass. Taken as a supplement, L-Glutamine helps to reduce the amount of inflammation caused by an H. pylori infection.

Dosage

Take glutamine either cold or at room temperature instead of hot because heat destroys glutamine. In general, do not give any supplement to a child without first consulting your doctor. For patients 10 years old or older, doses of 500 mg given one to three times a day are considered safe, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. In some cases, doses as high as 5,000 to 15,000 mg given daily in divided doses may be prescribed by a health-care provider.

Precautions

In general, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health-care provider because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications. While taking glutamine in doses of up to 14 g or more a day appears to be safe, elderly people who have decreased kidney function may need to use reduced doses of glutamine, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. People with kidney disease, liver disease or Reye's syndrome should not take glutamine.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jul 13, 2011

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